Dan's Got A Secret
by Astrid Billings
Summary: Dan is hiding something from Casey, and Casey is determined to find out what it is--at any cost. Chapters will be uploaded as written, and rating may change.
1. Dan's in the zone--but why?

Dan's Got A Secret  
  
"Sports Night" is property of Touchtone Pictures and Aaron Sorkin. But they have abandoned it, so we have it now.  
  
1. Conference room. The 4 o'clock meeting is nearly finished, and Dana is noticeably aggravated with Casey.  
  
DANA: So, I'll see you all back here for the 9 o'clock rundown.  
  
[Casey begins to shuffle his papers, preparing to leave.]  
  
DANA: Casey, do you have anything *else* you want to say?  
  
CASEY: No, not really. I just don't know why we're suddenly giving coverage to women's boxing.  
  
NATALIE: I think that's verging on the edge of a sexist comment. What do you think, Dana?  
  
DANA: I think you might just be right.  
  
CASEY: [standing up] All right, fine with me. If you want to kill the ratings, fine. All I'm saying is, I don't think women's boxing is a real ratings-grabber.  
  
DAN: Now you know how I feel about soccer.  
  
DANA: Well, I, for one, think that women's boxing is on the cusp of greatness. I, for one--  
  
JEREMY: Wouldn't that be for two?  
  
DANA and NATALIE: Shut up, Jeremy.  
  
DANA: I think that female boxers should get at *least* as much attention from this program as male boxers do. And didn't we do fight coverage from Bally's Park Palace in Atlantic City right here on this very show?  
  
CASEY: Yes, we did.  
  
DAN: And, might I add, it was the most painful special program I've ever done.  
  
KIM: Except for Draft Day 2000.  
  
DAN: [looking at Dana] I thought we weren't going to mention that any more.  
  
DANA: Kim, we're not mentioning that any more.  
  
DAN: Okay, then. I'll see you later. [turns to Dana] I'm starting to feel it. I'm getting there.  
  
DANA: Where's that, Dan?  
  
DAN: I'm gettin' into the zone! 


	2. You Had To Bring Her Into This, Didn't Y...

2. Dan and Casey are walking through the hallway to their office.  
  
CASEY: Since when did you become such a big fan of women's boxing?  
  
DAN: What's not to love? Boxers are some of the best athletes in the world.  
  
CASEY: How would you know?  
  
DAN: [Bouncing a basketball off the wall opposite his chair.] Remember when you took Charlie camping last month? I was here, covering the Frazier-Ali fight.  
  
CASEY: Dan, that fight happened when you were, like, twelve.  
  
DAN: [Staring at Casey.} Laila "Madame Butterfly" Ali and Jacquelyn Frazier- Lynd. It was beautiful, man. In round four Ali clobbered Frazier with a right uppercut. Frazier never really recovered. Amazing.  
  
[Dan is standing on his desk, shadowboxing, when Jeremy walks in.]  
  
JEREMY: [Throwing a box on Casey's desk.] The tape from last night's Penguins-Devils game. Hey, Dan.  
  
DAN: Hey, Jer.  
  
JEREMY: [Slightly wary] What'cha doin'?  
  
CASEY: He's relating the Frazier-Ali fight to me.  
  
JEREMY: For the heavyweight championship in 1971?  
  
CASEY: No--women's boxing. In June.  
  
JEREMY: Oh. I caught that one. The 'sweet science' in its truest form.  
  
CASEY: Really?  
  
JEREMY: Truly. I was in awe. Skilful punch after skilful punch. If it were physically possible, I would have Leila Ali's children.  
  
[Jeremy leaves and Dan is still shadowboxing on his desk.]  
  
CASEY: Huh.  
  
[Dan jumps off his desk and begins typing at his computer.]  
  
CASEY: You comin' out with all of us after the show?  
  
DAN: Nah. I think I'll just go home and do my laundry.  
  
CASEY: [pauses] That is just about the lamest excuse I've ever heard.  
  
DAN: It's t rue. If I don't do laundry tonight, soon I'll have to come to work in my pyjamas.  
  
CASEY: Liar.  
  
DAN: They're not flattering, Case. Red flannel.  
  
CASEY: You are SO lying. Soon you'll be saying that you have to go home to program your VCR. You haven't been out after the show in nearly a month.  
  
DAN: My Aunt Helen gave them to me. They've got little trains on them.  
  
CASEY: [Pauses, tapping his pencil.] This can mean only one thing. Either you've started dating someone new, or you've joined a cult.  
  
DAN: That's two things.  
  
[Silence.]  
  
CASEY: C'mon, Danny! Who is she? If you didn't tell me, she either works here or you're embarrassed of her. Or, it's really serious.  
  
DAN: Do I have to tell you everything?  
  
CASEY: I'm your best friend!  
  
DAN: Did you tell me when you started sleeping with Sally? Did you tell me when Dana put the dating embargo into effect? No.  
  
CASEY: No, I didn't. But you're a much better person than I am, Danny. Did you tell Natalie?  
  
[Dan stares Casey down.]  
  
CASEY: Dumb question. So does she work here?  
  
[Dan remains silent.]  
  
CASEY: Maybe she's got a hairlip. Or a limp. Or a glass eye. Maybe she's got a hairlip, a limp AND a glass eye. Or maybe she's a pro-athlete.  
  
[Dan snaps his pencil.]  
  
CASEY: A pro-athlete, Danny? Wow. Is she a figure skater? A gymnast? Tennis player? If I were Dan, who would I not tell my best friend in the entire world who I was dating? I'VE GOT IT!  
  
[Isaac stops outside the office door.]  
  
ISAAC: What have you got, Casey?  
  
CASEY: Dan is dating Mia Hamm!  
  
DAN: The soccer player?  
  
ISAAC: Won't Olivia be shocked.  
  
CASEY: Her name is Olivia?  
  
DAN: [To Isaac] Why did you have to tell him?  
  
ISAAC: You have to throw the boy a bone sometimes, Daniel. Otherwise, his head's likely to explode. 


	3. Are You Sorry You Asked?

3. Sports Night desk. Dan and Casey are about to begin the show.  
  
CASE: Well, if Natalie didn't know about it, you and Olivia must not be very serious.  
  
[Dan only rearranges the papers in front of him.]  
  
CASEY: [As if to himself] Of course, Isaac knew about it... How serious are you and this girl, Danny?  
  
DAN: We've been dating since June.  
  
CASEY: That's almost over a month! How did I not know about this?  
  
[Dan smiles.]  
  
CASEY: So, have you done it yet?  
  
DAN: [Grinning] Done what, Casey?  
  
CASEY: The Texas Two-Step. The Horizontal Lambada. You know--the sex.  
  
DANA: [Over speaker.] We're on in ten, boys and girls.  
  
DAN: Yes, actually. Right here on the desk.  
  
[Casey glances at the desk in a mixture of awe and horror.]  
  
DAVE: In three, two...  
  
DAN: I'm Dan Rydell, alongside Casey McCall. Tonight, women's boxing takes a leap into the 21st century, Brooke Monroe takes a leap into breaking an Olympic diving record, and Mario Lemieux takes a leap into a glass partition at Mellon Arena.  
  
CASEY: All that and more when we return. You're watching Sports Night on CSC so stick around. 


	4. Dan Rydell Loses His Mind (Part III)

4. Control Room, during final commercial break of the show. Dana, Kim and Natalie are at the top desk, unaware that Isaac has just entered the room.  
  
DANA: [over headset] Danny, we just got a call from the Women's Boxing League. Sports Night has been given exclusive rights to interview the boxers, trainers and managers. Us! Can you imagine?  
  
NATALIE: Woo-hoo!  
  
[Jeremy looks disapprovingly toward Natalie.]  
  
DAN: No thanks.  
  
DANA: [looks at Natalie] I don't think he understood what I said. We've been given exclusive coverage rights. That means, if Sports Illustrated wants something about the fights, they've gotta come to us.  
  
CASEY: That's a big 'if,' Dana.  
  
NATALIE: Is he still on that? [Over speaker] Casey, women's boxing is as much of a sport as anything else and deserves the same coverage as any other sport. For example, men's collegiate gymnastics.  
  
[Dan stifles a laugh.]  
  
DANA: [Over speaker] Dan, is there a reason you don't want to do the coverage, or have you just lost your mind?  
  
ISAAC: Dan has his priorities. Stop giving the boy a hard time.  
  
[All in control room jump, and Dan looks up from his papers, smiling.]  
  
DAN: Thanks, Isaac.  
  
[Isaac walks to the set.]  
  
ISAAC: I wasn't aware you could hear me.  
  
DAN: Dana sometimes forgets to de-press the button on the intercom. It makes for some really interesting commercial breaks occasionally.  
  
DAVE: Isaac, we're back in fifteen seconds. Unless you want the first camera to broadcast an image of your backside across the US—  
  
JEREMY: [Over speaker] To 3.1 million viewers, to be precise.  
  
DAVE: --I'd suggest that you get out of my shot.  
  
ISAAC: [Holds up his hands as he walks away] Actually, Dan, I just came down to tell you that there is a lovely young woman waiting for you backstage.  
  
[Isaac leaves.]  
  
CASEY: What did he say?  
  
[Dan sighs.]  
  
CASEY: Fine. I won't pry any more. So tell me about this girl…  
  
ELLIOT: We're back in three…two…  
  
DAN: We'd like to extend our thanks to Sonia Barber for that fascinating look at slalom racing. Who knew ice could be so exciting?  
  
CASEY: And tune in tomorrow for Sports Night's exclusive footage of Women's Boxing, coming at you live from Madison Square Gardens.  
  
DAN: You've been watching Sports Night on CSC. Have a great night.  
  
[Music cues.]  
  
DAVE: And we're out.  
  
CASEY: C'mon, Danny. Who is this mysterious Olivia? Is she hot? Huh? C'mon!  
  
OLIVIA: [Walking up to the desk.] So much for not kissing and telling.  
  
[Dan jumps up and kisses her.]  
  
DAN: I said nothing. All I gave was my name, rank and serial number.  
  
[Olivia keeps her arm around him.]  
  
OLIVIA: [Teasing] Hmmm. Well, I guess I can keep you around for a little while longer, then.  
  
CASEY: I'm Casey McCall. I promise, Dan didn't say *anything* about you. [Eyes Olivia not-so-discreetly.] I can see why he's been keeping you to himself.  
  
OLIVIA: [Shaking Casey's offered hand.] It's really nice to meet you, Casey. Dan has told me a lot about you.  
  
[Dan begins to lead Olivia away.]  
  
CASEY: [Calling after them] Oh, he did, did he? Wow, Danny. You got past the third date, then!  
  
OLIVIA: [Over her shoulder] Oh, he got *way* past the third date, Casey. Way past.  
  
  
  
To be continued…Suggestions? 


	5. I Think I Saw It On The Ridiculously Lon...

5. Sports Night desk, after the show. Casey is taking off his mike and Dana has just walked into the room.  
  
DANA: [Staring off into the distance.] Do you know who was on the set during the show?  
  
CASEY: I'm going to go with…me…and Dan…and the camera guys.  
  
DANA: You're forgetting someone.  
  
CASEY: Oh, was Jeremy's imaginary friend Pierre Gustave Toussant-Beauregard here again?  
  
DANA: No…What?  
  
CASEY: Never mind. Who was here, Dana?  
  
DANA: The White Thunder.  
  
CASEY: Wasn't he a character in "Dances With Wolves"?  
  
[Dana sighs exasperatedly.]  
  
CASEY: Wait. No, that was the name of a drink I had on spring break my junior year of college.  
  
DANA: Focus, here, Case. The White Thunder—currently the holder of the middleweight title in women's boxing.  
  
CASEY: Where was she?  
  
DANA: She was right on the set, Casey! She shook your hand!  
  
CASEY: [looking confused] That was Dan's girlfriend.  
  
DANA: [moving to sit on the desk] She's Dan's girlfriend? That must be why Isaac took Dan off the exclusive. He knew.  
  
CASEY: That cute little blonde is a boxer?  
  
DANA: Why didn't he tell me? Did he tell you?  
  
CASEY: No, he didn't. We've already talked about that—apparently he doesn't need to tell me everything. God, if I were dating her, I'd be telling everyone.  
  
DANA: You seem a little wowed by Danny's new girlfriend.  
  
CASEY: I know. I'm gushing. But did you see her? She's gorgeous! She's got those legs that go all the way up! Those eyes. That mouth!  
  
DANA: Yeah, yeah. She's got a face.  
  
[A long silence ensues.]  
  
DANA: You're not happy, are you?  
  
CASEY: It just seems to me that if Danny didn't tell me he was dating Olivia, there must be a reason.  
  
[Casey walks off.]  
  
DANA: Or, it could be that this is something that is just important to him, and he didn't want us meddling in it… 


	6. My Friends Get A Haircut With This

Here's the next installment of "Dan's Got A Secret." Just think of it as a really long commercial break. STILL looking for a beta…E-mail DarkStar1013@netscape.com if you're interested.  
  
6. "My friends get a haircut with this."  
  
  
  
[Dan enters Isaac's office. Isaac is at his desk.]  
  
DAN: Hey.  
  
ISAAC: Hey yourself.  
  
[Dan sits across from Isaac.]  
  
ISAAC: Is there something I can help you with, Danny?  
  
DAN: [pauses] Didja see the Knicks game last night? [Shakes head.] It was amazing.  
  
ISAAC: I may be semi-retired, but I catch an occasional basketball game every now and then. If they don't go too late.  
  
[Dan smiles. Again, a few moments pass.]  
  
ISAAC: I know you're not leaving my office until you do whatever it was you came in here to do, so why not get it over with?  
  
DAN: How did you know that your wife was the one?  
  
ISAAC: [pauses] The one what?  
  
DAN: You know…the person you were meant to spend the rest of your life with.  
  
ISAAC: You're asking me to remember back an awfully long time.  
  
DAN: Okay, rephrase: How do you know she's still the one?  
  
ISAAC: [sighs] Danny. I married Esther because I was in love with her. And despite all the hard times, we seem to have made it work. If it's possible, I'm more in love with her now than I was thirty-eight years ago.  
  
[Dan sits quietly, then starts to get up.]  
  
DAN: [sitting back down] How do you know if you're in love?  
  
ISAAC: Is there a reason you're giving me the third degree? Last time I checked, I was neither Dr. Ruth nor Dr. Drew.  
  
DAN: Isaac, you surprise me. I didn't figure you for someone who would watch MTV's "Love Line."  
  
ISAAC: Well, when you're recovering from a stroke, there's just so much "Love Boat" and "Benson" you can watch. Again, Danny--is there a reason you're asking me all these questions?  
  
DAN: Okay. Let's say, hypothetically, that someone was dating a girl for almost two months. Would that be enough time for said hypothetical person to fall in love with the hypothetical girl?  
  
ISAAC: Danny, I don't pretend to be an authority on love. But I do know this--there is no time prerequisite for falling in love. Nor is there a time limit. Thankfully.  
  
(Dan gets up.)  
  
DAN (standing at the door): Three months, Isaac. I've been seeing her for three months.  
  
ISAAC (smiling): Hmmm.  
  
(Dan looks confused.)  
  
DAN: Is that all you're going to say?  
  
ISAAC: What do you want me to say, Daniel?  
  
DAN: I don't know… I just thought…  
  
ISAAC: I am slightly offended that you didn't tell me sooner.  
  
DAN: Isaac, you were the first to know. You were the only one to know until last night.  
  
ISAAC: And is there a reason behind the secrecy?  
  
DAN (closing the door again and looking down at his feet): I didn't want to jinx it. I know I have a reputation around here as a…  
  
ISAAC: Serial monogamist?  
  
DAN: Thank you. You're so helpful.  
  
ISAAC: Hey, I used to write my own stuff. (shuffling papers) So what makes you so sure now?  
  
DAN: Olivia's…different. She's part of this world, you know? I don't have to explain work to her, not like with Rebecca.  
  
ISAAC: That's good, Danny.  
  
DAN: Yeah, but is it? I mean, is she too much a part of this world? Sometimes you just have to get away from work…but she'll always be there, staring me in the face. But still, what we have together…I don't know if I want to let that go, out of fear or…whatever.  
  
ISAAC: Danny.  
  
(Dan's head snaps up.)  
  
ISAAC: Don't overanalyze this.  
  
(Dan smiles.)  
  
DAN: Thanks. Always a pleasure.  
  
ISAAC: Any time.  
  
(Dan heads toward the door.)  
  
ISAAC: And Danny…I mean it. Don't over-analyze this. Just let it happen.  
  
DAN (finally leaving): Thanks, Isaac. 


	7. There's More to Life Than Super Cuts

7. There's More To Life Than SuperCuts  
  
[Next day. Casey is sitting at a table ringside at Madison Square Gardens. Bobbi Berenstein is at his right. Dan is nowhere to be seen.]  
  
NATALIE: Okay, guys, we're on in four.  
  
BOBBI: [Adjusting her earring] So, not that I'm complaining, but why am I here instead of Dan?  
  
CASEY: Ask him. I have no idea. All I know is that he asked not to do it, and Isaac didn't force it.  
  
BOBBI: Do you think Danny's.?  
  
CASEY: Danny's what? Elsewhere? Not wanting to do the coverage for some reason, such as, women's boxing coverage is as ridiculous as the six-hour pre-race coverage of the Kentucky Derby?  
  
BOBBI: No, that Danny's.?  
  
CASEY: Secretly been replaced by Folger's crystals?  
  
BOBBI: [Exasperated] No!  
  
DANNY: [Crouching between Casey and Bobbi, causing them to jump.] She wants to know if you think I've gone off the deep end.  
  
BOBBI: [Hand on throat.] Dan, I didn't.  
  
DANNY: It's okay, Bobbi. I already know you're nuts.  
  
[Bobbi begins to redden and sputter.]  
  
DANNY: Here's the official story--I decided that I didn't want to be here when I heard we were first doing the coverage. However, against my better judgment, here I am.  
  
CASEY: But why didn't you want to be here?  
  
NATALIE: Hate to interrupt, but we're on in fifteen seconds. And Dan, I need you to get out of the way, because we have to get more makeup on Bobbi.  
  
[Dan grins and goes to a seat three rows up and to their right. He sits down next to Isaac.]  
  
ISAAC: I imagine Bobbi's pretty riled right now?  
  
DAN: I did what I could.  
  
ISAAC: Ah, Dan, always modest. Are you sure you want to be here?  
  
DAN: Uh, yeah. Sure. Definitely. Yeah, I mean, I guess so.  
  
ISAAC: Well, so long as you're certain.  
  
[Dan stares at the ring, arms folded on the chair in front of him.]  
  
ISAAC: Did I ever tell you that my oldest son used to play football?  
  
DAN: I think you mentioned it once or twice.  
  
ISAAC: Of course, it was only high school. He wasn't really fast enough or big enough to play college ball. Luckily, he got my brains and Esther's good looks.  
  
[Dan turns to look at him. People file in around him.]  
  
ISAAC: Right. My point. I went to just one of his games.  
  
DAN: Too busy?  
  
ISAAC: No. Not at all. I was already bureau chief by then, so I could afford to skip out a little bit early sometimes. No. As many football games as I'd covered, I just couldn't watch my own son getting the snot beat out of him down on that field.  
  
[Dan remains silent.]  
  
ISAAC: Esther went to all the games instead. And I felt horrible about it, especially when he told me that he thought I wasn't interested in watching him play this game that he loved playing.  
  
[Dan looks like he's going to say something, but decides against it.]  
  
ISAAC: But it would have been wrong for me to ask him not to play. As much as I couldn't stand him not getting hurt, I couldn't ask him not to play.  
  
DAN: It would be like Rebecca asking me not to be a sports newscaster.  
  
ISAAC: Exactly. But it was equally wrong for me not to go to his games. I had to trust that he knew how to play the game well enough to not get seriously hurt.  
  
[The arena darkens. Lights begin flashing, and the announcer is spotlit in the ring.]  
  
EMCEE: Ladies and gentlemen, let's get ready to.rumble! 


	8. In the Immortal Words of David Cassidy

8. In the Immortal Words of David Cassidy  
  
[It is more than halfway through the fight. Casey and Bobbi are running commentary at the table in front of the ring. Isaac and Dan are sitting in the stands. Isaac is looking around the arena, but Dan's gaze is focused on the ring.]  
  
NATALIE: Okay, we're out to commercial.  
  
CASEY: Somehow I missed that Dan's girlfriend would be in this fight.  
  
BOBBI: [Adjusting her earpiece] You know, sometimes it helps to read the information that Jeremy gives you. He's a really smart guy.  
  
NATALIE: So he tells me.  
  
[Bobbi looks confused.]  
  
BOBBI: Besides, you didn't know that Dan was dating her until yesterday. Funny how you were probably the last person to know.  
  
CASEY: Why is that funny? I don't understand why that's funny.  
  
NATALIE: It's a little funny. Would you like me to explain it to you?  
  
BOBBI: [To Natalie] Let me tell you something.  
  
CASEY: [To Bobbi] Now I know why Dan doesn't like you.  
  
BOBBI: Somehow you think I care about what Dan thinks about me? That man is just about two bad decisions away from being the homeless guy on Littleton Street who rants about the squirrels.  
  
NATALIE: [Testily] We're thirty seconds to air.  
  
CASEY: [Shuffling papers] Never a good idea to piss off the producer on location. Just not a good idea.  
  
BOBBI: You don't think that she'd.  
  
CASEY: [Leaning in to Bobbi] Natalie and Dan are like siblings. You don't mess with either one of them without the other one messing with you.  
  
NATALIE: In three, two, one.  
  
CASEY: All right! We're back with what's been a surprisingly uneventful match so far. Olivia "The White Thunder" Hennessey and Anna Martinez have been trading jabs for five rounds now, and neither one of them have yet to land a serious punch. This match-up may come to the judges' call.  
  
BOBBI: That's right, Casey. In any boxing match, a point is awarded for each touch.  
  
[As Bobbi explains the scoring in boxing, the camera pans back to Isaac and Dan.]  
  
DAN: I don't know if there's been a time in my life recently where I've needed a sedative more.  
  
ISAAC: I'm sure that if you step into the men's room, there'll be more than enough pharmaceuticals floating around to do the trick.  
  
DAN: [Smiling slightly, turns to Isaac] Isaac, are you trying to pull me off the wagon?  
  
ISAAC: Oh. Right. I forgot.  
  
DAN: It's all right. Sometimes I forget, too. Fifteen years will do that for you.  
  
ISAAC: [Studies Dan for a few seconds] You really have strong feelings for her, don't you, Daniel?  
  
DAN: Yeah. But up until this point, I wasn't sure what those feelings were. I think I love her.  
  
[Camera pans back to Casey and Bobbi, just as Martinez lands a punch square on Olivia's jaw. In the background, Dan jumps to his feet and wavers a bit.]  
  
CASEY: Wow! A clean right roundhouse punch to Hennessey's chin. Martinez seems to be winding down. The question is, who will fall first?  
  
BOBBI: Hernandez is on her knees on the mat. Hennessey seems to be walking back to her corner.  
  
CASEY: Hennessey is shaking her head. She seems to be trying to clear it. Her manager looks like he's signaling for time.  
  
BOBBI: But Hernandez is down! And the ref is counting! But she's up before he gets to two. She's going to her corner.and the bell rings to signify the end of the round.  
  
CASEY: This may be the end of the fight. Both fighters are exhausted, and the crowd here seems to sense that. Oh, the ref has come into the center of the ring.and the fight's over. Both fighters' corners have indicated they wish to end the fight.  
  
BOBBI: Since there was no knockout, the fight comes down to technical merits. It could go either way.  
  
CASEY: Hernandez did land the last punch, but Hennessey did an incredible job of holding off many of the punches. We have seen an impressive display of athleticism here tonight.  
  
BOBBI: The judges have reached a decision.  
  
CASEY: And Hennessey has won the fight!  
  
[Dan collapses in his chair, unable to stand the pressure.]  
  
ISAAC: Well, wasn't that interesting!  
  
DAN: So it's almost an inevitability that I won't be able to talk her into quitting now, can I?  
  
ISAAC: It wouldn't be fair.  
  
DAN: Who said anything about fair? You know what they say--'All's fair'--  
  
ISAAC: [Interrupting] In love and war. And if you love her, you won't ask her to quit.  
  
DAN: Yeah. It's almost too bad that I'm head-over-heels in love with her.  
  
[Isaac laughs. Fade to black.]  
  
Roll credits.  
  
************* Ha ha! I finished! E-mail me with questions, comments, concerns:  
  
DarkStar1013 at netscape dot com 


End file.
